The 2014 sci-fi drama Interstellar takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride as a group of astronauts risk their lives to locate a new home for humans.  They must complete this mission after Earth experiences a rapid decline, mainly due to a food shortage and lack of oxygen, threatening the existence of everyone on the planet.  Racing against time, the NASA astronauts must journey through a wormhole near Saturn.  Unfortunately, the trip is not a simple one, with the team experiencing death, despair, and endless pressure to save Earth’s remaining inhabitants before it’s too late. 

This Christopher Nolan-directed piece was a blockbuster hit, grossing $705.2 million at the box office on a $165 million budget.  Since this film, whose star-studded lineup included Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, and Matt Damon, there has been a demand for a sequel.  While no plans for a part two have been announced, several other movies have similar twists to satisfy the craving for a storyline based on saving the planet. 

Moonfall (2022)

IMDB: 5.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 35%
Where to Watch: YouTube, YouTube TV, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime Video

Moonfall is a sci-fi disaster film that introduces us to NASA astronauts Brian, Jocinda, and Alan as they embark on a mission to repair a satellite.  However, they are attacked by extraterrestrial beings, who kill Alan and knock out Jocinda. Brian returns the shuttle to Earth and is quickly fired from NASA after they refuse to believe his story.  A decade passes, and the disgraced Brian connects with a conspiracy theorist who has theories about the Moon and the mysterious attackers. 

Jocinda, who has been promoted to NASA’s deputy director, sends a crew to investigate the Moon, especially the fact that it appears to be coming closer to Earth.  However, when the same alien swarms from her mission with Brian and kills the new astronauts, NASA is forced to finally believe Brian’s account of what happened and save Earth from the vicious creatures.

After Earth (2013)

Post-apocalptyic action and adventure meet strains of sci-fi in After Earth. Loosely based on an original story idea by Will Smith, it features Earth 1000 years from now, where humans have evacuated into the stars. Starring Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Sophie Okonedo, and Zoë Kravitz, it was intended to be the first in a trilogy. While that didn’t work out due to somewhat low ratings, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying this sci-fi romp.

The Martian (2015)

IMDB: 8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
Where to Watch: Max, YouTube, Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, Fandango at Home

The Martian is based on a crew of NASA astronauts who visit Mars but are met with a terrifying dust storm.  The massive amount of dust threatens the space vehicle they are traveling in, forcing them to abort the mission.  Matt Damon also stars in this film as astronaut Mark Watney, who is hit by flying debris and presumed dead by his crew, who then takes off, leaving him trapped on Mars.  He is then faced with trying to survive until the next mission, which doesn’t take place for another four years. 

Oblivion (2013)

IMDB: 7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 53%
Where to Watch: Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime Video

Oblivion follows the aftermath of a deadly invasion that left Earth inhabitable in 2017 thanks to nuclear weapons used by the invaders.  Decades later, there Jack and his partner Victoria are only a handful of people left on the planet.  Jack and his small team of mechanics are tasked with servicing robot drones that defend the scarce resources left.  However, they will soon learn the grim details about the war with the aliens, which includes clones of themselves. 

Predestination (2015)

IMDB: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 85%
Where to Watch: Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, Fandango at Home

Predestination examines Temporal Agents, a group of people chosen to travel to the future to prevent horrific crimes from taking place.  One such agent is tasked with conducting one of these missions to stop a terrorist from killing thousands of New Yorkers.  However, when the madman’s bomb goes off in the agent’s face, he undergoes restorative surgery to fix his wounds.  He then returns to NYC in hopes of catching the bomber in his final mission.  However, an odd twist of time-traveling fate will reveal that the agent and the terrorist have quite a bit in common.

Tides (2021)

IMDB: 5.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 54%
Where to Watch: Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, YouTube TV, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, Fandango at Home

Tides is another title that focuses on an Earth that has been destroyed.  A group of elite humans leave the planet to settle in the Kepler colony.  However, Blake, from Kepler, conducts a mission to Earth with fellow astronauts Tucker and Holden to inspect whether Earth can be inhabitable again.  Unfortunately, their journey back to Earth is rocky, and they soon encounter a group of humans known as “The Muds.” Holden is killed, while Tucker commits suicide after being severely wounded by the group. Blake is the only survivor and must struggle to stay alive.

Deep Impact (1998)

IMDB: 6.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 45%
Where to Watch: AMC+, Philo, YouTube, Sling TV, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, Fandango at Home

There are two massive comets headed to earth, and a team of astronauts is being sent to stop it. The world down below, meanwhile, can only prepare themselves and hope. So goes the plot of Deep Impact, a film like Interstellar that focuses more on the effects on Earth rather than up in space, but that still captures that vast feeling of outer space that you get from the latter. Some tout this film as being even better than Armageddon, while others think the melodrama and suspiciously close release date make it fall short of the film it’s often compared to.